The final declaration, released on Monday following the Lausanne Conference held in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern Diyarbakır (Amed) city last weekend, calls on the country to address “the century-long denial policies against the Kurds and the impact on democracy”.
The conference was organised by various pro-Kurdish political parties, including the Democratic Society Congress (DTK), Democratic Regions Party (DBP) and others. The declaration strongly criticised the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which it says led to the division of Kurdistan lands and ongoing oppression of the Kurdish people.
The statement highlights that the Lausanne Treaty not only deprived the Kurdish nation of its legitimate national democratic rights but also sowed seeds of hostility and instability in the Middle East. It accuses “the Kemalist regime” of betraying promises made to the Kurds and implementing policies of denial and assimilation. The declaration also points out that these policies have not only harmed the Kurds but have also negatively impacted the democratisation process in Turkey.
The statement calls for a new constitution that would officially recognise the existence, language and status of the Kurds. It also urges for the establishment of a democratic system that respects Turkey’s multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious structure. The declaration emphasises that solving the Kurdish issue is key to achieving peace and stability in Turkey and the Middle East.
The statement ends with a call to the Turkish state to abandon its policies of war and denial and to make a new beginning for a peaceful and democratic solution to the Kurdish issue. It argues that the current system, based on the denial of the Kurds, is unsustainable and has made life unbearable not just for Kurds but also for Turks. The declaration calls for collective efforts to draft a new constitution that would enable Kurds, Turks and other communities to live together freely, honourably and on an equal footing.
